294715 Tue Nov 04 18:46:18 -0800 2003 16 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1617256 Like most major grocery chains, my local store (bought out by Kroger a while back) carries store-brand milk and non-store-brand milk. I've noticed that the expiration date on the former is usually less than 2 weeks while the expiration date on the latter is 4 - 6 weeks. Does anyone know the reason for this? Tue Nov 04 18:46:18 -0800 2003 0 Susie 1 1617263 Susie, As you learn more about Kroger, the answer will be very clear. They recently purchased a high quality chain of markets in our area and within weeks replaced products and brands with lesser quality (higher profit) items. The chain, once known for seafood, now sells shrimp that smell like ammonia. As for their meat, don't get me started. Fortunately, there are many wonderful alternative stores nearby, so I never have to return. Tue Nov 04 19:00:46 -0800 2003 1617256 0 Leper 2 1617436 Amen to that. We lost our Harris Teeter stores to them. Nothing but pumped up case ready meats and lousy produce. Susie should be wary of expired products all over the store, if what I see here is typical of the way they operate elsewhere. My wife hated it when I would go to a Kroger as I always came home and ranted about what a crappy store it is. I've been 'Kroger Free' for about four months now and my disposition is much better..... Wed Nov 05 16:30:47 -0800 2003 1617263 0 EP 3 1617449 Yep, here in Seattle, too. They bought out what had been a good, reasonably priced local chain. Now the employees are noticeably less happy, the product selection has been dumbed down, and the produce stinks. Again, luckily, I have options, ranging from other chain stores to farmer's markets, and Trader Joe's. AlanH, I see your point regarding a range of places/prices. But I also know that what I now see in that now-Kroger owned store is of a lesser quality, and therefore, is less nutritious. The mushy, limp produce that they're selling isn't good enough for anyone, let alone children who need the nutrients. It's a problem. Wed Nov 05 18:00:05 -0800 2003 1617436 0 lala 1 1617266 I've run into a similar problem with certain brands. They have expiry dates the same as the other brands, but go bad as much as a week before the expiry date. I think they're cheating on the date--wrong date, or the milk is much older than they let on. Tue Nov 04 19:15:27 -0800 2003 1617256 0 Colleen 1 1617268 Here's a good article on the subject from the SF Chronicle. The "sell by" date on perishable foods has limited usefulness: "With just a couple of exceptions, no laws regulate package dates -- variously referred to as sell-by dates, pull dates, expiration dates or quality dates. That most dates appear at all is entirely up to the manufacturer or the grocer. The federal government only requires expiration dates on infant formula and some baby food." For milk, the offer the following advice: "Dairy producers, for example, build seven to 10 days into their milk dates, so milk with a Jan. 10 date should be fresh through Jan. 17 or later if stored properly at home." I've been using the "sell by date + 7 days" rule all my life and have not had any problems. Just keep it cold and smell before each use. Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi%3Ffile%3D/chronicle/archive/2001/01/10/FD171775.DTL Tue Nov 04 19:31:08 -0800 2003 1617256 0 nja 1 1617309 We have too many Kroger (Fry's in our neck of the woods) horror stories to count. Consistently tough, flavorless meat, spoiled produce for sale, moldy wheels of cheese, you name it. The worst was one time when my mom slipped and hurt herself on a puddle on the floor. The store management went out of their way to act like nothing had happened at all. No help, no apology; they even tried to make it sound like she created the situation intentionally. There are many, many better grocery stores to go to. Tue Nov 04 23:52:36 -0800 2003 1617256 0 JK Grence (the Cosmic Jester) 2 1617351 I heard part of a program on NPR the other day about what American consumers are willing to put up with. In short, we should refuse to purchase less than quality products. And refuse vocally! We will only get better quality if we demand it. The other day I had to stand and wait for a woman to pick off multiple leaves from a head of cabbage. I was sort of irritated, but then I thought well, why should she pay for what she is going to throw away? Kinda like the bif fatty piece of chicken skin they tuck underneath so you can't see it. Wed Nov 05 10:54:20 -0800 2003 1617309 0 Sweet Pea 3 1617357 I disagree. I think sometimes consumers expect too much. We have the widest range of choices and quality of any place in the world. For most products you can "vote" for higher quality by choosing to pay more for the perceived higher quality product. As a society we are better served by having a range of choices. Wed Nov 05 11:18:31 -0800 2003 1617351 0 AlanH 4 1617375 I understand. The speakers on the program were saying that we are one of the wealthiest countries and should not settle for substandard products. Another point of view. Wed Nov 05 12:31:20 -0800 2003 1617357 0 Sweet Pea 5 1617383 Yeah, well with 20% of our population living below the poverty line I wouldn't expect supermarkets to limit their offerings to hand picked organic foods and free-range meats. What you consider "better" food costs a lot more to produce. I suggest their "point of view" is biased towards their high level of disposable income. Perhaps they should reconsider what they consider "substandard"? Wed Nov 05 12:42:21 -0800 2003 1617375 0 AlanH 4 1617414 The big grocery chains charge a lot and offer poor quality. But it's not true that you have to pay more for better. For example, here in San Francisco, the little Latin and Asian grocery stores sell limes at 25 for a $1 and meat at half the cost as Kroger's equivalent here, yet the stuff they sell is much better. The Safeways and their kin occupy the huge middle with moderate prices and terrible quality: one can choose to go cheap (the ethnic places) or foo-foo (e.g., Whole Foods) to get better. At least that's the caes in the big cities...if you're stuck in the burbs or smaller cities, you may have no other choice. Wed Nov 05 14:41:01 -0800 2003 1617357 0 nja 3 1617369 Huh? Properly rendered, the skin is the best part of the chicken. Wed Nov 05 12:20:53 -0800 2003 1617351 0 ADL 1 1617312 I think that if you look at the container, you will note that the milk with a long shelf life is ULTRA pasteurized which extends the life of the milk approximately three-fold. Personally, we buy milk when it is $1.49 a gallon, pour the milk into half-pint containers and freeze the containers until we need the milk. I was quite surprised that the milk neither loses its flavor or appearance (once thawed). Of course, I got that tip from a dairy farmer who has done it for years. I just got tired of paying $1.39 for a quart of milk. Wed Nov 05 00:23:48 -0800 2003 1617256 0 jlawrence01 2 1617332 Also, be aware that, the lower the fat content of the milk, the more quickly it will tend to sour in less than perfect conditions. For example, in those warm frigs in office building lobby shops, the skim milk invariably goes sour before the whole milk with the same date does.... Wed Nov 05 08:31:12 -0800 2003 1617312 0 Karl S. 3 1617342 If my mind isn't failing me, that skim milk generally has a longer "sell by" date than whole milk. We would get milk in and the skim milk would have a two day longer shelf life. Wed Nov 05 10:04:36 -0800 2003 1617332 0 jlawrence01 1 1617395 In NYC, the sell by date on milk will say something like "November 17, (November 14 in NYC)" Always makes me wonder if we have inferior refrigeration in NYC or if the out of city people enjoy semi-sour milk. Wed Nov 05 13:23:32 -0800 2003 1617256 0 josephsm